Import

Please note: You can find Finnish national legislation at Finlex and EU legislation at EUR-Lex links on the right margin. Guidance for searching decisions of the EU legislation you can find here.

What constitutes import?

the animal is inteded for sale or there is a transfer of ownership

e.g. rescue pets that will be rehomed, or puppies intended for sale or forwarding

the pet's movement is not triggered by the owner's need to move

the animal travels alone as cargo

the animal is imported for commercial purposes

the same person is entering the EU with six or more pets (cats, dogs, and/or ferrets), all individuals of different species are counted

Advice on imports and commercial movements is available by e-mail from: lentoasema evira.fi.

The pets to be imported must meet the import conditions below. The importer is responsible for verifying the valid import conditions prior to import.

Import conditions briefly:

Country approved for import

Dogs, cats and ferrets must come from holdings or businesses which are registered by the competent authority

Identification tagging before rabies vaccination

Rabies vaccination

21 day waiting period for listed countries or rabies antibody test for other countries

Treatment against echinococcus multilocularis tapeworms 1-5 days before arriving to Finland

Clinical examination within 48 hours before shipping

Veterinary EU health certificate for import

Veterinary border inspection

Countries approved for imports

Commercial imports of dogs, cats and ferrets are only permitted from certain non-EU countries.

For the countries other than those listed ones (e.g. Cameroon or the Philippines), commercial imports are not allowed.

The countries approved for imports are listed in Annex I to Commission Decision 2004/211/EC; Part 1 of Annex II to Commission Regulation (EU) No 206/2010; and Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013.

The list of countries approved for imports may change whenever the decisions determining it are amended and importers are responsible for checking whether the country they intend to import from is approved.

Identification tagging

The animals must be identification-tagged with a microchip (or a clearly legible tattoo if put before 3.7.2011) . From the 3rd of July 2011, microchip has been the only form of identification tagging accepted. If the animal has a clear tattoo which is made prior to 3rd of June 2011, it does not need a microchip in case it has a veterinary certiface stating that the tattoo is made prior to the date above.

Importers of pets are always responsible for the readability of the microchip if the pet’s chip does not conform to the required standard. You can check the standard of your microchip from the manufacturer. The veterinary border inspection post at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport has a reader that also reads Avid chips, which are widely used in the USA. If the microchip does not conform to ISO Standard 11784 or Annex A of ISO Standard 11785, the importer of the animal must have a device capable of reading the microchip.

The animal must be identification-tagged before being vaccinated against rabies. The details of the animal’s identification tagging must also be entered in its vaccination certificates.

Rabies vaccination

Animals must be vaccinated against rabies minimum of 12 weeks of age. Rabies vaccination and revaccination must be performed in accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturer. The previous vaccination must be entered in the animal’s vaccination certificate or pet passport.

The animal must be identification-tagged before the rabies vaccination is administered! The vaccinations given before the animal has been identification-tagged are NOT valid!The updated list of approved vaccines can be found in the webpage ofJordbruksverket in Sweden. Recombination vaccines are also accepted.

Countries are divided into two categories:

A. Listed countries

For animals imported from countries listed in Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013, the first vaccination must be administered at least 21 days prior to import.

The 21-day waiting period does not apply to booster vaccinations if the vaccination is administered within the period of validity of the previous vaccination. (NB! The vaccinations given before the animal has been identification-tagged are NOT valid!) A rabies serological examination is not required for imports from the countries above.

With these conditions the animal must be transported from the listed country either directly to Finland or via another listed country. If the animal is transported by air or sea, the transport may also go via another non-EU country if the animal stays within the confines of an international airport or is enclosed on board a vessel.

B. Other countries. Rabies serological examination is required in addition to vaccination.

Rabies serological examination

A rabies serological examination must be performed on animals imported from countries with a high risk of rabies infection.

An approved veterinarian must take a blood sample for examination no less than 30 days after the rabies vaccination and at least three months prior to importation.

The antibody test must be carried out in an EU-approved laboratory (in Finland Evira). The neutralising antibody titre must be at least 0.5 IU/ml. The antibody test need not be repeated if the animal has been revaccinated as recommended by the vaccine manufacturer.

If the animal originates from the EU and a rabies antibody titration has been performed before the animal was taken outside the EU, it is not necessary to wait for three months after the blood sample is taken before the animal is brought back into the EU. However, at least 30 days must elapse between the vaccination and the blood sample being taken. In Finland, the blood sample in such cases may be taken by an authorised veterinarian. The animal must be accompanied by a pet passport with the antibody titration recorded by the veterinarian.

It is not allowed to import non-vaccinated puppies and kittens. Rabies vaccination at minimum age of 12 weeks and revaccination must be performed in accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturer. The veterinarian administering the vaccine is responsible for complying with the recommendations.

In practice, when importing puppies and kittens from countries with a low risk of rabies infection, the imported puppy or kitten must be at least 15 weeks of age due to the 21 day waiting period. When importing puppies and kittens from countries with a high risk of rabies infection, the imported puppy or kitten must be at least 7 months of age (12 weeks + 30 days + 3 months). If the border veterinarian suspects that the animal is younger than the age given here, the border veterinarian is entitled to take the following steps: the animal is referred for further examinations (a rabies serological examination, an age evaluation by a veterinarian etc.), the animal is returned to the country of origin or the animal is put down.

Treatment against echinococcosis tapeworms

All dogs must be accompanied by a certificate issued by a veterinarian showing that the animal has received 5-1 days before arrival medication against echinococcus tapeworms containing praziquantel or epsiprantel.

If the animal travels often outside Finland and it has an EU-passport, it may use "the 28 day rule". The animal must get the medication against echinococcosis no more than 28 days intervals as long as it is travelling, and all medications must be marked in the EU-passport by a veterinarian.

The medication against echinococcosis is not required for cats.

Veterinary certificate

The animal must be accompanied by a veterinary certificate for imports into the EU, the Annex to Commission Decision 2013/519/EU, issued by an official veterinarian in the country of origin. The certificate details the animal’s identification tagging, vaccination against rabies, medication against echinococcosis, clinical examination and where necessary, serological examination. The certificate must be completed in Finnish, Swedish or English.

For pets imported from the United States, we kindly ask you to refer to the guidelines on “Accepted authorities in US”.

The original vaccination certificates (or certified copies of these) must be attached to the veterinary certificate. The original documents must also contain details of the animal’s identification tagging.

If the pet is originally from an EU country and is accompanied by an EU-pet passport with the entries required for importation, the pet passport replaces the veterinary certificate, in case the animal has not been rabies-vaccinated in the third country. If a booster vaccination has been given in a non-EU-country, the animal needs a separate health certificate (Annex), because a non-EU-veterinarian is not allowed to mark any vaccinations in the EU-pet passport.

Clinical examination

A veterinarian approved by the competent authority in the country of origin must perform a clinical examination for the animal within 48 hours before shipping, stating that the animal is healthy and fit for travelling to its final destination.

Safeguard measures

Prior to importation, importers must check whether any EU-safeguard measures apply to the import country.

Veterinary border inspection

Animals may be imported to European Union only via a veterinary border inspection post. A chargeable veterinary border inspection is performed on live animals in the first member state where they are unloaded. There are two border inspection posts in Finland through which live animals can be imported directly from third countries to the EU. These are Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and Vaalimaa road crossing with Russia.

The importer or the importer’s representative must make prior notification of the consignments to be imported to the veterinary border inspection post no later than one working day prior to importation by completing the first page of the Common Veterinary Entry Document (CVED) in the TRACES-system. In addition the importer must contact the border veterinarian for settling the time for inspection.

The TRACES-system is complicated, and enough time should be reserved for registering and training to use the system. TRACES services provided by forwarders may also be used. Also the border veterinarian may make the TRACES-notification in advance for private pet importers for fee of 50 euros.

Veterinary border inspection fee:The inspection fee for dogs, cats and ferrets during working hours (Mon-Fri 8 am – 3.45 pm) is 142 euros/animal. Outside working hours, the following supplements apply: from 3.45 pm to 10 pm +50% and from 10 pm to 8 am and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays +100%. The fee is charged by Finnish Customs along with other customs fees (details of customs fees are available from the customs advice line on 09 6141).

Importers should be aware that veterinary border inspection posts do not operate an out-of-hours service; in such cases importers must make an appointment with an authorised border veterinarian well in advance. Inspections during working hours must also be agreed in advance by telephone, and no later than in the previous working day.

It is highly recommended to e-mail a health certificate for a border veterinarian for an advance check (this can be requested well in advance and veterinary inspection within 24 hours prior to dispatch can be added later). The health certificate may be faxed for the border veterinarian +358 29 530 4336 or e-mailed to lentoasema@evira.fi. The importers must call (tel. +358 50 3371893) to ask if there are any omissions that can be rectified prior to importation. Importers should be aware that they are liable for all costs incurred when animals do not meet the requirements at the time of importation!

Generally border inspection can be performed about one hour after the aircraft lands.

Be there early enough, it takes a while to collect all needen papers

Go to take a visitor card from the security desk when entering the cargo area

Go to Finnair Customer Service to catch the papers

In case the flight company uses Service Air (for example Aeroflot), you must collect the papers from the Swissport Cargo Center (Rahtitie 3). Ask them to move your animal to veterinary border inspection post.

Go to the cargo terminal security control at the door 13 and ask the security guys to take you to the veterinary border inspection post.

after the border inspection go to the customs (you get instructions from the vet) and back to the Finnair customer service when you get your animal.

Documents required at the Vaalimaa border inspection post for imports of dogs, cats and ferrets from non-EU countries

The protection of dogs, cats and ferrets during transport in connection with commercial activity is governed by Regulation 1/2005 of the Council of the European Community and the Animal Transport Act (1429/2006). Anyone transporting dogs, cats or ferretsin connection with commercial activity must have a transporter authorisation. Russian-speaking operators can get more information on how these are granted from the Estonian authorities ( http://www.vet.agri.ee/, e-mail vet vet.agri.ee, tel. 605 1710, fax 621 1441). Links to the Animal Transport Regulation and the transporter authorisation are given in the section Transport of horses from countries from outside the EU – animal welfare. Instructions on how to get a transporter authorisation in Finland you will find at our website "Eläinkuljetus".

IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE MODEL HEALTH CERTIFICATE, the transporter must present the following documents to the border veterinarian at the veterinary border inspection post:

1. A copy of the long journeys transporter authorisation (which may be held jointly by several persons), which allows the carriage of animals on journeys of over eight hours (document in accordance with chapter II of Annex III of the Animal Transport Regulation, link in the margin of the entry on the transport of horses above)

2. A certificate of approval of means of transport by road (document in accordance with chapter IV of Annex III of the Animal Transport Regulation)

3. A transport document, containing the following information: a) origin and owner of the animals b) place of departure c) date and time of departure d) intended destination e) anticipated duration of journey.